Mary Steenburgen
Known for Acting · 146 credits
- Born
- 1953-02-08 (age 73)
- Place of birth
- Newport, Arkansas, USA
- Also known as
- Mary Nell Steenburgen
Biography
Mary Nell Steenburgen (born February 8, 1953) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and songwriter. After studying at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse in the 1970s, she made her professional acting debut in the Western comedy film Goin' South (1978). Steenburgen went on to earn critical acclaim for her role in Time After Time (1979) and Jonathan Demme's comedy-drama film Melvin and Howard (1980), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Known For
TV Shows (48)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
as Grace Rinato
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
as Self - Guest
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
as Self - Guest
American Dad!
2005
as (voice)
The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019
as Self - Guest
Frasier
1993
as Marjorie (voice)
Curb Your Enthusiasm
2000
as Mary Steenburgen
The Jennifer Hudson Show
2022
as Self - Guest
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
2005
as Self
The View
1997
as Self
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
1988
as Self - Guest
30 Rock
2006
as Diana Jessup
Orange Is the New Black
2013
as Delia Powell
Justified
2010
as Katherine Hale
Ellen
1994
as Self (uncredited)
Grace and Frankie
2015
as Miriam
Good Day Live
2001
as Self
Becker
1998
as Patient (uncredited)
The Good Place
2016
as Teacher
The Tony Danza Show
2004
as Self - Guest
The Conners
2018
as Marcy Bellinger
Stars in the House
2020
as Self
Finding Your Roots
2012
as Self
The Oscars
1953
as Self
Joan of Arcadia
2003
as Helen Girardi
The Last Man on Earth
2015
as Gail Klosterman
Faerie Tale Theatre
1982
as Mary / Little Red Riding Hood
Wilfred
2011
as Catherine Newman
A Man on the Inside
2024
as Mona Margadoff
Bless the Harts
2019
as Crystalynn (voice)
Reunited Apart
2020
as Self
Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist
2020
as Maggie Clarke
Mr. Mayor
2021
as Adriana
On Becoming a God in Central Florida
2019
as Ellen Joy Bonar
Togetherness
2015
as Linda
E!'s 101
2003
as Self
Ink
1996
as Kate Montgomery
Back to the Future
1991
as Clara Clayton (voice)
Gulliver's Travels
1996
as Mary Gulliver
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories
1992
as Narrator (voice)
Tender Is the Night
1985
as Nicole Diver (née Warren)
Noah's Ark
1999
as Naamah
In the Kitchen with Harry Hamlin
2024
as Self
Dinner for Five
2001
BULLDOZER
2025
as Kathy
Happiness Isn't Everything
as Audrey Veill
Living with the Dead
2002
as Detective Karen Condrin
Southern Discomfort
as Mary Lou Dobson
Movies (98)
The Proposal
2009
as Grace Paxton
The Help
2011
as Elaine Stein
Back to the Future Part III
1990
as Clara Clayton
Elf
2003
as Emily
Nightmare Alley
2021
as Mrs. Kimball
Step Brothers
2008
as Nancy Huff
I Am Sam
2001
as Dr. Blake
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
1993
as Betty Carver
Last Vegas
2013
as Diana Boyle
Philadelphia
1993
as Belinda Conine
Inland Empire
2006
as Visitor #2
Powder
1995
as Jessie Caldwell
Book Club
2018
as Carol
The Brave One
2007
as Carol
Nixon
1995
as Hannah Nixon
Parenthood
1989
as Karen Buckman
Ragtime
1981
as Mother
Four Christmases
2008
as Marilyn
Clifford
1994
as Sarah Davis
The Discovery
2017
as Interviewer
Happiest Season
2020
as Tipper
Life as a House
2001
as Colleen Beck
Last Train to Fortune
2025
as Miss Maybelle
In the Electric Mist
2009
as Bootsie Robicheaux
Book Club: The Next Chapter
2023
as Carol
Nobel Son
2007
as Sarah Michaelson
Picnic
2000
as Rosemary Sydney
Pontiac Moon
1994
as Katherine Bellamy
Hope Springs
2003
as Joanie Fisher
Antiquities
2019
as Dr. Margot
End of the Line
1987
as Rose Pickett
The Butcher's Wife
1991
as Stella Keefover
Fight for Your Right Revisited
2011
as Café Patron
Song One
2014
as Karen Ellis
The One I Love
2014
as Mom (voice)
Goin' South
1978
as Julia Tate
Elvis & Anabelle
2007
as Geneva Leigh
Dirty Girl
2010
as Peggy
Time After Time
1979
as Amy Robbins
Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre
1989
as Self (voice)
A Walk in the Woods
2015
as Jeannie
Did You Hear About the Morgans?
2009
as Emma Wheeler
The Long Walk Home
1990
as Narrator (voice)
30 Rock: A One-Time Special
2020
as Mary Steenburgen
The Dead Girl
2006
as Leah's Mother
Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School
2006
as Marienne Hotchkiss
The Dink
2026
as Candace
Dean
2016
as Carol
Cross Creek
1983
as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy
1982
as Adrian
Sunshine State
2002
as Francine Pinkney
Dead of Winter
1987
as Julie Rose / Katie McGovern / Evelyn
Wish You Were Dead
2002
as Sally Rider
The Book of Love
2017
as Julia Mureaux
Honeydripper
2007
as Amanda Winship
One Magic Christmas
1985
as Ginny Grainger
Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas
2021
as Maggie Clarke
Numb
2007
as Dr. Blaine
My Family
1995
as Gloria
The Trumpet of the Swan
2001
as Mother (voice)
The Grass Harp
1996
as Sister Ida
The Whales of August
1987
as Young Sarah
Miss Firecracker
1989
as Elaine Rutledge
Melvin and Howard
1980
as Lynda Dummar
Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic
2023
as Self
7 Days in Hell
2015
as Louisa Poole
Living with the Dead
2002
as Detective Karen Condrin
Outlaw Country
2012
as Anastasia Lee
Earth and the American Dream
1992
as Reader (voice)
Nobody's Baby
2001
as Estelle
Brahmin Bulls
2013
as Helen West
Celebrating Betty White: America's Golden Girl
2022
as Self
Katie Says Goodbye
2018
as Maybelle
Sanford Meisner: The American Theatre's Best Kept Secret
1990
as Self
Jim Henson's Turkey Hollow
2015
as Aunt Cly
Tales from the Future
2010
as Self
The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank
1988
as Miep Gies
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
2010
as Mrs. Yankovic
Flannery
2019
as Flannery O'Connor (voice)
The Secrets of the 'Back to the Future' Trilogy
1990
as Self
Romantic Comedy
1983
as Phoebe Craddock
I Do... Until I Don't
2017
as Cybil Burger
The Open Road
2009
as Katherine
Casa de los Babys
2003
as Gayle
It Runs in the Family
1994
as Mrs. Parker (Mother)
Mrs. Pilgrim Goes to Hollywood
2003
as Mary
Easy's Waltz
2025
The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story
2000
Clarkworld
2009
as Self
Let's Have Kids!
as Sue
About Sarah
1998
as Sarah Elizabeth McCaffrey
Little Red Riding Hood
1983
as Little Red Riding Hood a.k.a. Mary
Noah's Ark
1999
as Naamah
A Dog’s Perfect Christmas
as Claire
Remembering Ragtime
2004
as Mother (archive footage)
It Must Be Love
2004
as Clem Gazelle
O Lucky Malcolm!
2006
as Self
Back to the Future: Dickens of a Christmas
1991
as Clara Clayton Brown (voice)
About Mary Steenburgen
Mary Nell Steenburgen (born February 8, 1953) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and songwriter. After studying at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse in the 1970s, she made her professional acting debut in the Western comedy film Goin' South (1978). Steenburgen went on to earn critical acclaim for her role in Time After Time (1979) and Jonathan Demme's comedy-drama film Melvin and Howard (1980), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. With 146 credits spanning from 1953 to 2026, Mary Steenburgen has appeared in 98 films and 48 TV shows.
Fans searching for Mary Steenburgen movies, Mary Steenburgen filmography, or the latest projects starring Mary Steenburgen can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Mary Steenburgen Movies
- The Proposal (2009) — as Grace Paxton
- The Help (2011) — as Elaine Stein
- Back to the Future Part III (1990) — as Clara Clayton
- Elf (2003) — as Emily
- Nightmare Alley (2021) — as Mrs. Kimball
Where to Watch Mary Steenburgen Films
Most Mary Steenburgen movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Mary Steenburgen, check our movies catalogue and browse page.